Author's Note
Hello Universe! Palkia's back with Chapter 11! Yee! Never thought I would make it this far!
Thank you to all of those who reviewed, favorited and followed this story! It really means a lot!
Here's the music list!
(1) Gekiha (Crushing) - Naruto Shippuden OST 2
(2) Kokon Musou (Unparalleled Throughout History) - Naruto Shippuden OST 1
(3) Ressei (Bad Situation) - Naruto OST 1
(4) Ofukaze Mode (Fooling Mode) - Naruto OST 1
(5) Kaii (Strangeness) - Naruto Shippuden OST 1
(6) Shippuden - Naruto Shippuden OST 1
(7) Kyuubi no Yoko (Nine-Tailed Demon Fox) - Naruto OST 1
I do not own Naruto and I do not own TMNT
Chapter 11
Imbalance of Minds
(1) "Again!" the deer god commanded.
Just as he said that, about twenty lions, all dressed in jounin vests, blue pants, wearing blue banded forehead protectors with the kanji for "lion," and holding many kunai, appeared before Shishigami. Just as soon as they appeared, all of them ran swiftly towards the humanoid deer, red chakra flaring up. Off to the side, a giant, orange furred, nine-tailed fox watched the fight.
One came at Shishigami after it leapt into the air, but was quickly defeated and burst into smoke as a swift arm jab landed into its stomach. Three more came at him, and he dodged an incoming kunai that was meant for his face by ducking. Shishigami jabbed that one in the stomach as well, and it disappeared.
While he was distracted, more lions came up behind him, trying to set up a sneak attack. Yet Shishigami sensed them easily, even though they hid their chakra so well. With one swift back kick, he sent three of them bursting into smoke.
One by one, the deer god kept up with the pace, not even letting in a single hit. Dodging yet another kunai. Stopping a fist fueled by tailed beast chakra. His attacker was becoming very skilled, this Shishigami knew. The strikes were quick and calculated, and it almost surprised him when a kick from one of the lions nearly got him.
'He has improved significantly.'
Soon however, there were only a few lions left. In a last stitch effort, the three attacked at the same time. Shishigami once again dodged another attack, yet they seemed to have learned from him by now. As he ducked to the left of a kick, a fist came towards him. As a last minute effort, the humanoid deer jumped up and attacked from above, delivering a kick from his right leg into the last three lions, turning them into smoke. That was when he was sure the fight was over.
But in the split second after his attack, something emerged from the smoke with great speed and stamina. This caught Shishigami off by surprise, and had absolutely no time to prepare. A chakra-enveloped fist met the deer god's face, and sent him flying, hitting the ground with a huge force. Of course, Shishigami was immortal, so this wouldn't affect him at all.
The smoke cleared, and one last humanoid lion wearing the same clothes as the previous ones appeared from within it. There was a slightly exhausted look on his face, as the amount of chakra he had used during this fight as well as the previous ones was a great amount. Turning to the giant orange furred fox, the lion immediately saw the shocked expression the tailed beast currently harbored.
"Well? Heh...how'd I do?" he asked.
"You just punched a god in the face without getting punched back," Kurama stated in astonishment. "How do you think you did, baka?"
Off to the side, Shishigami got up and walked over to them. To say that he wasn't surprised was an understatement. The speed at which the jinchuriki had traveled was much faster than usual. Perhaps his chakra reserves and his stamina were just that large.
Over the past few days, Leonardo had improved by a great amount. His use and remembrance of the hand seals for jutsu had increased dramatically. So much to the point where for some jutsu, Leo didn't even have to perform the hand seals (which said jinchuriki was very happy about, as he believed it slowed him down slightly).
It was such as a sight to see truthfully. Never before had a jinchuriki possessed this much ability, at least regarding the Nine-Tails. Mito Uzumaki, while a very strong kunoichi during her prime, did very little with the tailed beast inside of her. Kushina Uzumaki, the second jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, did very little in regards to Kurama, and was even terrified of him, hence the whole issue with the fox being staked to a moon inside her mindscape.
Leonardo however, was different, so much different in fact. He wasn't afraid nor scared of Kurama when they first met. In fact, it was almost as if he was very interested in the fox from the beginning they saw each other, which was surprising. Most jinchuriki wanted to either have nothing to do with their tailed beast, or to take advantage of their power.
Yet, there was an exception right in front of him. There was this odd feeling that the deer god felt about the jinchuriki right before his eyes. Never before had the deer of the Spirit Plane have a summoner, at least in three hundred years. Something was different, that was for sure, and he would find the answers he needed soon.
"You have improved significantly," Shishigami told Leonardo. "Your mastery over Shadow Clone Jutsu has increased from five to twenty in a matter of days. And, you managed to take advantage of the opening I made unintentionally and struck me. To say that I am impressed at your speed and agility is an understatement. You are quite the prodigy, Leonardo." (1!)
Said lion blushed at the praise he was given, but it was something that he truly earned. He henged out of that form and into his normal turtle form, bowing to his master in respect. Once Leo lifted his head, the deer god spoke again.
"That is all the training for today. I will let you return home and rest. The next time we meet, I will teach you how to deal with Genjutsu users. You have done well."
"Arigato, Shishigami-Sensei," the turtle thanked him.
And thus, both turtle and fox were whisked away from Talbot Peak, returning home. Leonardo opened his eyes, now seeing the familiar bedroom. He was currently in his bed, wanting to rest a little before heading out to see his family. But of course, life wouldn't make it that way.
There was a knock at his door, and Leo recognized the presence on the other side as Mikey. "Leooo! Master Splinter wants us in the dojo in five minutes!"
"Alright, I'm coming!" he yelled back, and he sensed Mikey walking away.
Good thing he decided to get rid of all the stuff and noise cancelling wall padding, otherwise if he hadn't, his brother could've barged in while he was gone. Leo yawned, deciding that it was probably a good time to get up. He walked over to the door and went out, heading towards the dojo.
It was not uncommon for him to come home from Shishigami's training sessions like this. Often, the deer god would keep him there all night, trying to get the most out of the training. Not that he didn't mind. Leo enjoyed the extra training. After all, it made him stronger.
As he entered the dojo, Leonardo could feel the three gazes from his brothers piercing into his soul. To them, it wasn't normal for their oldest brother to sleep in. Shishigami didn't take him away that often, but when he did, Leo mostly came back exhausted, and thus leaving his three brothers as to why he was so tired. To them, it wasn't like Leo to sleep in. After all, this was Mr. Perfect, Goody Three-Toes, who tried so hard to not have an error whatsoever.
Of course, Leo knew that was entirely false. He wasn't perfect, nor did he actually intend to be anything of the like. Leo just wanted to become stronger, a strong shinobi for that matter. And it obviously took a lot of practice and time in order to get there as well. Yet, there was no stopping how his brothers viewed him as perfect.
The jinchuriki noticed Splinter on the other side of the dojo, completely silent and still as he stood, facing away from the three other turtles. His eyes were closed, as if he were meditating or something of the like. Perhaps Master Splinter was trying to tone out the sounds around him. Either way, it was suspicious.
Leo got down on one knee next to Mikey. "Alright, what's going on?" he asked.
"Splinter wants us to spar with him," Raph stated, slightly annoyed.
And of course, Leo's eternal bad luck had kicked in.
'Argh, figures. He just had to pick today, didn't he?'
"At least it's better than getting beaten up by a god."
'Still, I'm really exhausted. And I always have to hold back against him. If I don't, well…'
Unfortunately for the turtle, he had gotten used to the world nearly being a blur around him as he traversed and fought at high speeds. Now, if he had a spar with his Sensei, everything just felt so...slow. And there was no doubt in his mind that he didn't like going slow at all.
"Okay, here's the plan," Leo started. "Donnie, you're going to strike first."
This seemed to get a shocked expression out of the purple masked turtle. "Wait, you want me to come at Splinter?! I'll get pummeled!"
"Well, getting pummeled is your specialty," Raph remarked, angering Donnie slightly.
"Trust me, it's all part of my plan to catch Splinter off guard," the jinchuriki reassured him.
"You have no plan."
'I do have a plan actually! It just...hasn't come into my mind yet!'
Leo heard the fox groan in disappointment. "Is it to hide how tired and drained you are from getting pummeled by Shishigami?"
'Well, that's part of it I suppose. I'm going to have to push myself harder for this sparring session. Otherwise my exhaustion might show, and that's the last thing I want happening. But maybe...if I try to sneak up on him while he's distracted, then I might have a chance.'
"Uh Leo," said turtle turned his head to see Mikey speaking. "Don't take this the wrong way, but against Splinter, your plans always get our butts whipped."
His eyes widened for a split second, but returned to normal quickly. 'I never thought I'd hear Mikey say that. Well then, change of plans…'
"Okay, new thought. Mikey, you attack."
"I like the way you think hehe."
"He took it the wrong way," Mikey whispered to Donnie.
"Enough talk. Let's do this," Raph interrupted.
Leo nodded to the red masked turtle, and they stood up. The four turtles walked towards Splinter, whose ears twitched, sensing their movement. He turned around, and they had him surrounded. The rat master got into a stance, ready for any attack that would come his way.
As planned, Mikey moved first, ready to attack. The orange masked turtle jumped into the air, both feet aimed at Splinter who was currently looking away. But the rat master opened his eyes, sensing the youngest turtle come close to him. He grabbed both of Mikey's legs, swung him around, and threw him to the floor, kicking him away.
Raph came to attack next, jumping into the air and preparing a punch with his right fist. The other two turtles who were still standing also ran at Splinter, hoping to cause some sort of distraction. Splinter turned around in time just to avoid the punch, while also dodging Donnie who tried to kick him in the head.
'This isn't working that well,' Leo thought.
The blue masked turtle kicked in the air and spun, but yet again Splinter avoided it. This supposedly left an opening for Donnie, as he kicked with his right leg while Splinter had his back turned. Yet the rat master proved him wrong by grabbing his leg and sideswiping him. Donnie lost his footing and spun mid air, and was kicked back into Raph. Both turtles were sent flying.
"Pick up the pace! Where was that speed you had earlier?! Or are you really that tired?"
'Don't...push me! I'm working on it!'
He rolled onto the ground, avoiding a blow from Splinter. His reflexes immediately went into auto mode, and as soon as Leo saw an opening, he went for it. Leo punched forward with his left fist, and managed to hit Splinter in the face. But something caught his eye, and he saw the slight sizzle of heat coming from it. His eyes widened in fear.
He had hit his master with chakra.
Quickly, Leo backed away from Splinter. "Ah! S...Sensei I'm sorry! I..."
He was panicking on the inside, fear and horror rising within his system. Leo hadn't meant to do that at all. At the moment, he was tired, slightly ticked off because of the lack of energy in his system, and wanted to sleep desperately. His body just went into auto mode, and because of that, a little bit of chakra was released from his fist.
It was a promise to himself that he would never hurt any member of his family with his true strength. Yet here Leo was, breaking that promise, and had attacked his own father with the hidden strength that was always kept away. At this point, the turtle was silently praying that Splinter wouldn't notice it at all, and that he wasn't hurt in any way.
Yet to his surprise, the rat master turtle back to him, with an angered but also calm expression on his face. He went for Leonardo's arm, but the turtle was able to dodge it with ease by jumping farther away. He half expected his master to come after him, but Splinter spoke.
"Well done, Leonardo," he said. "But, just when you had the advantage, you hesitated. And that made you vulnerable."
Leo blinked in surprise, but he answered him. "H...hai, Sensei," he said warily.
"Now, that is all for today." Splinter walked away from them towards his private room. "Unless, you care for a rematch?"
"No thanks."
"I'm good."
"Yeah I think we're all set here."
The jinchuriki smirked slightly at his brothers' antics for trying to get training to end so quickly. In a way, it was a rather good thing that Splinter decided to end their training session. That way, he could at least get some rest.
He saw Splinter open and close the doors to his room. Soon after that, his three younger brothers came running at him, excitement written all over their faces.
"Leo!" Mikey exclaimed, an eager smile on his face.
"Not bad," Raph told him. He was surprised at that, since the red masked turtle hardly ever gave him praise.
"Dude, I can't believe you actually tagged Sensei!" Donnie was very astonished. "That was epic!"
Mikey grabbed his left hand as if it were an object of mystic power. "The hand that punched Splinter! You know you can never wash this again!"
He chuckled at that, then spoke. "We did a great job today. Our teamwork was great. We are definitely getting better."
In the back of his mind, he heard Kurama scoff. He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the remark. Of course, that was somewhat of a lie. At the point the jinchuriki was at, he could learn more from Shishigami than Splinter. But at least his words could give some encouragement to his brothers.
"You think we might be catching up to Splinter?" Donnie asked.
"Yeah, maybe soon we won't need him to train us at all," Mikey said.
'That day would be interesting. But I highly doubt that it will come anytime soon, if at all. There will probably be times when he says that he can always teach us something.'
"I'm going to go rest," Leo stated, and began to walk away from them.
"Not sleep well or something?" he heard Raph speak behind him.
"Yeah...something like that," was all he could say, then proceeded to leave the dojo, leaving his brothers behind.
Leo just wanted to sleep. Training twelve hours with Shishigami was very taxing on his chakra, and it needed to be replenished quickly. Otherwise he would have more accidents like earlier. Opening the door to his room and closing it behind him, he got onto his bed and slept.
(2) "Leonardo."
There was something nudging for him to wake up. The turtle groaned and became complacent.
"Mmm...go away…" he moaned.
"Leonardo, you must wake up." The voice persisted still, and he was even more annoyed.
"Five more minutes…" he answered.
This time, Leo wasn't met with an answer, but rather a shove, and he was forced off the bed. He yelped in surprise as he hit the floor. Opening his eyes, the turtle sat up slightly, rubbing his head. Just who exactly would decide to enter his room without his permission, and…
Oh.
Turning around, he was met with the familiar sight of a humanoid deer at his bedside. As Leo was somewhat half asleep still, he failed to recognize entirely who it was.
"Oh, Shishigami, it's just you…" he whispered, and proceeded to lie down on the bed.
Only a few seconds later, his body sprung up in shock.
"SHISHIGAMI?!" he yelled, now fully awake. "What the heck are you doing here?!"
"Good to see that you are resting after our training earlier," the deer noted. He proceeded to sit on the turtle's bed. "I must apologize for my intrusion, but there is an urgent matter we must discuss."
Leo was slightly confused as to why the deer god would come all this way regarding a certain matter. He was a god, wasn't he? Surely he could handle any matter. Unless the blue masked turtle was heavily involved with this.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"There is an imbalance."
"An imbalance?"
"Yes," Shishigami continued. "As you know, I am the god of Life, Death, and the Forest itself. Meaning that I am tied to many aspects of nature and the world. This includes animals, humans, etc. Humans however, and those like you, with you being an exception of course due to your abilities, rarely are ever able to see or sense my presence."
"Why is that?" Leo questioned.
"I do not like making myself known," Shishigami replied. "Yet the other reason is that they most often do not have a connection to the world around them. Nature itself in other words. Humans just do not possess such a characteristic."
"Normal animals however, are able to sense my presence and know exactly who I am, and thus they respect me. While some humans only believe I exist, animals know for a fact that I am real. And because of that, I have connections with the vast majority of animals around the world."
"So you came here because there's some sort of imbalance with animals in New York?" Leo asked.
"You catch on very quickly. Yes, that is why I came here."
"Then why did you come to me then?" (2!)
"Because…" Only, the deer god was cut off by a loud scream.
"AHHHHHHHH!"
Leo's eyes widened in horror. He knew that voice all too well. It was his father, and it appeared that he was in great pain. He jumped out of the bed, opened the door, and rushed to the dojo, with Shishigami following behind. Leo saw his other brothers rushing to the dojo as well, so that meant he hadn't just imagined the scream either.
He was the first to arrive, and saw a sight he'd never dream of seeing. There was Splinter, kneeling on the floor in agony. Off to the side was one of his swords. Perhaps he was practicing katas or something of the like. Either way, Leo kneeled in front of his father. Mikey and Raph came in after, also coming around him.
"Sensei," Leo heard Donnie say as the purple masked turtle entered the dojo. His brother ran up beside him. "Are you okay?"
"I am fine," the rat master answered, grabbing his head.
"That's a lie," Kurama pointed out. "He screams out in pain and then says he's fine. Pathetic rat."
"There is no doubt that he is in pain." Leo heard Shishigami behind him. The blue masked turtle sent a slight glance at the deer god's way.
"Do not worry, they cannot see nor hear me. Only you and Kurama have such an ability. And remember, I know of your thoughts as well. So there is no need to speak through words. Use your mind."
'I don't understand,' Leo thought, looking over the rat master. 'He didn't cut himself or drop the sword by accident. So what could've happened to him then?'
"You sure you're alright, Sensei?" he asked. "You don't seem…"
Unfortunately, the blue masked turtle was cut off by the sound of birds chirping and a harp. He nearly rolled his eyes in annoyance, and he was pretty sure Kurama had done it for him. It was Donnie's ringtone for whenever April called him.
"Hey, that's April's ringtone!" his brother exclaimed.
Immediately afterward, Mikey and Raph began making kissy faces, to which Donnie responded by pushing them away. He proceeded to pick up the phone and put it to his ear.
"Hey April!" he said excitedly. Only, he decided to go back on it. "I mean...Heyyy April...I mean-"
On the side, Leo rolled his eyes. 'You've got to be kidding me…'
"Donnie, stop talking," the blue masked turtle could hear her on the other side of the line. "I need some help. I'm having a little of a...pest problem!' She said the last words frantically.
'Pest problem? Hold on, she doesn't mean…'
"You must hurry," Shishigami stated. "I am afraid your friend is in grave danger."
(3) A few minutes later, on the surface…
'Oh my god, he wasn't kidding about there being an imbalance…'
Humans were running and screaming in the streets for their lives. Among them were thousands and thousands of rats, who seemed to have gotten over their fear of humans and now roamed the streets in massive hordes. Leo never saw that many rats before in his life. No wonder Shishigami came here.
The four brothers were currently jumping from rooftop to rooftop in a very quick manner. According to Donnie, April was stuck on top of a telephone pole (how she had gotten up there without electrocuting herself would forever remain a mystery to Leo) as a result of a literal stampede of rats. And she didn't know how to get down either. Thus, they needed to get her down.
Currently, they were running towards her location, with Leo being the fastest of them in the lead. He couldn't help but be slightly annoyed by his younger brothers' reactions (more specifically Mikey's) to daytime in the city. Of course, the jinchuriki had been up there during daylight hours often, so he wasn't all that surprised about it.
"Wow, the city is so beautiful during the daytime," Leo heard Mikey say behind him. "Except for the, you know, billions of rats."
"Baka, doesn't he know that this isn't normal?" Kurama sneered.
'I'm taking that as a no,' Leo answered. 'Not a big fan of normal rats, huh?'
"Pft. They're disgusting, low life creatures. They cannot compare to that of a kitsune or myself." Leo sweatdropped at that.
"Actually, the entire rat population of New York is around thirty-six million, which…" Donnie began to say until he was cut off.
"I will smack you out of your shell!" Raph yelled.
The blue masked turtle was getting highly annoyed, until he saw what they were looking for, and it wasn't a pleasant sight either. "Uhh guys, we might have a problem."
They stopped at the edge of the building. Below them was a literal river of rats, covering pretty much the entire street. And there was April, on top of a telephone poll, hanging on for dear life. How they were ever going to get her down was at the moment beyond them.
"Ah, rats!" Mikey exclaimed. "Ha-ha! Get it?"
"For the fourteenth time, yes!" Raph yelled at him in anger.
"We're coming April!" Donnie said. "Don't go anywhere!"
"Where can I possibly go?!" she retaliated, hinting at her current situation.
Raph and Leo pulled out their grappling hooks and threw them at the pole. Both were able to latch onto it. The red masked turtle jumped off the building, swinging towards the pole and landing on it. Leo did the same thing, landing above his brother. Donnie and Mikey also threw their grappling hooks, and landed on the pole below them Using what he learned from his chakra exercises, he sent chakra down into the bottoms of his feet, making it easier to climb.
As they climbed up however, rats were starting to climb up the pole as well, irritating Raph. One went up his arm, and as a second ran up his arm again, he shoved it off. Then, a third one climbed onto his head, and Raph lost it.
"Urrgh, these stupid rats are starting to get on my nerves!" he complained.
"Rats aren't stupid," Donnie stated. "Despite their small brain size, they're remarkably-Ow!" A falling rat hit him in the face.
"I warned ya," Raph added snidely.
Leo was becoming even more annoyed by the minute. "Raph, put down the rat and keep climbing," he scolded, and they began to climb the pole again.
"Hurry!" April yelled.
Unfortunately for all of them, the rats below were chewing away at the wooden pole. It became thin enough so that it would tilt over. Thankfully the electrical wires held it up, but as soon as the pole moved, April lost her hold and fell off.
'Oh no!' Leo thought.
On instinct, the blue masked turtle jumped off the pole, using the rope to swing around it. He caught her with his left arm and landed on the wood once more. April held onto him as if her life depended on it.
"You alright?" he asked.
He could feel from her emotions that she was frightened, very much so. Leo could understand, after all nearly falling to your death could scare anyone. Unfortunately he could also feel the jealousy just radiating off of Donnie, which annoyed him slightly. The jinchuriki gestured for her to let go of him and hold onto the pole instead, and April did just that.
That was when he felt the pole shift a little. Looking down, the blue masked turtle saw that the rats had completely chewed through the wood. His eyes widened in fear.
"Oh boy," Donnie sighed.
The pole came crashing down, only for it to be held up slightly by the wires connecting it at the last second. Yet this caused the turtles and April to fall off the top of the pole and cling onto it for dear life. It wasn't the most ideal situation to be in, considering there were thousands of rats below them.
"Okay, I appreciated you guys coming to help," April began. "But, how is this better than being eaten by rats?!"
"At least it'll be quick," Mikey stated. "With rats, they chew, and chew, and chew, and chew...and chew…"
"Okay, we get it," she said.
Donnie looked below, and saw a dumpster with more rats on top of it. Doing a quick calculation on what could possibly happen, he suddenly had an idea. He looked between the dumpster and the wires that held the pole up. It would be risky, but it was worth a shot no doubt.
"Let's move," he said.
The other turtles swung around and stood on the pole. Leo helped April get up, much to the dismay of Donnie. The five walked to the other side of the pole carefully, with Leo having his sword out in case there were any complications. Then, one of the electrical wires from the pole snapped. They all turned around, and gasped.
"Hurry!" Donnie exclaimed.
Thankfully, they managed to somewhat get to the other side just as the second wire snapped. The pole fell, part of it landing on the dumpster. There was just enough force for the other side of it to lift up, flinging all five of them across the street and onto the rooftop of a building. Thankfully they were mostly unharmed, and got up, watching the rats run over the pole below. (3!)
"Chew on that, rat finks!" Leo shouted, pointing at the rats. He was met with four glares, and probably a fifth one from a certain fox.
"Oh come on, that sounded cool!"
He was met with a slight pain in his head, knowing exactly who caused it.
"That was bad, even for you," Kurama sneered.
'Okay! Okay! Ow! Stop!'
"Does anyone know what the heck is going on?!" April asked, referring to their current situation.
"I'm not sure," Donnie began. "Whatever it is, this attack is extremely well coordinated. Obviously there is a higher intelligence at work here."
"Well, that rules out Mikey," Raph commented.
"I'm serious," Donnie continued. "Someone or something is controlling every rat in the city."
This caught Leo's attention, but Raph spoke for him. "Wait a sec. Every rat?"
"That means that Splinter could be…" Leo realized in horror.
Was that the reason for his sudden outburst of pain earlier? If that were the case, then this was extremely bad. They would have to hurry back and make sure he was alright. If not…
"Go, tend to your father," Shishigami's voice was heard, as he appeared behind them. Leo was slightly startled by this, but tried not to show it or look back.
"I will handle the large population of rats. This control can be broken easily by me. But I do not know how long a rat's free will can endure until control is set over it again. I entrust you to the task of defeating this entity that is controlling them. Now hurry."
Leo nodded slightly, making sure the others didn't notice. With that, the five ran back into the sewers, hoping that their master was alright. Shishigami watched from afar, seeing the blue masked turtle disappear underground.
"He surely is an interesting being…"
Leaping over the turnstiles, they saw the rat master lying on his back on the ground, with a mat underneath him. Splinter didn't appear to be moving at all, and his eyes were closed. Leo's eyes were looking up and down the rat master. This was not good at all. His brothers and April joined him, surrounding Splinter.
"Is he okay?" April asked, kneeling by the rat master's side.
"Donnie, you're the smart one," Raph complained. "What do we do?"
(4) "Maybe we should...poke him?" the purple masked turtle suggested.
"Pah, as if poking the rat would actually make a difference."
'It's better than doing nothing I suppose. We could use Donnie's Bo staff. Just not the end with the blade, hehe.'
"I'll lose my utter faith in you if you poke him and the blade end comes out."
'I won't be poking him, if that's what you're thinking about.'
"Good idea," Leo said. He turned to Mikey, who was right next to him. "Mikey, poke him."
As if the blue masked turtle expected it, Mikey retaliated. "Now way! I'm not poking him! You poke him!"
He rolled his eyes, knowing that the youngest turtle would say something like that. "Okay, we'll put it to a vote."
"Mikey," all three turtles said.
"I want a recount!" Mikey complained.
But there was no point in his pouting, as Donnie handed him the staff. "Ugh, fine."
He took the staff from his brother. Carefully, Mikey stuck it out in front of Splinter. Yet his concentration was very unfocused, as Leo could clearly see the Bo staff shaking rapidly. All four turtles were anxious at the sight.
"Easy, easy!" Donnie scolded. "Be careful not to squeeze the-"
As soon as he said that, a blade came out of the staff, centimeters from Splinter's head. Unfortunately they forgot to check which end of the staff it was. All four turtles screamed, backing away from Splinter quickly. In the panic, Mikey fumbled with the staff, causing him to drop it. The mood finally settled after a few seconds.
"Hehehehe-HAHAHAHAHA!"
'HOW IS THIS FUNNY?!'
Donnie picked it up and held it to Mikey. "Okay, let's try it from the other end."
The orange masked turtle shook his head quickly, but his genius brother shoved him forward. Mikey went towards Splinter, shaking rapidly. That was when he poked the rat master, and a split-second after, he backed away. Off to the side, the three older turtles nearly had a heart attack when Mikey poked him. But, just as Kurama had said earlier, nothing happened.
So Mikey began to poke him from multiple angles. The front, the back, the side. Still, the rat master didn't awake. So he got an idea, and went up near Splinter's face, all fear of getting punched in the shell gone now. Perhaps he could actually get away with something this time…
"Woah, he is totally out of it," Mikey stated in shock, as he poked Splinter's snout. "Dudes, check out the-" (4!)
'Aaaaaand I'm not going to listen to that anymore,' Leo thought in disgust, sitting down. 'Something is definitely wrong with him though. Maybe whoever it is that's controlling the normal rats is trying to get into his mind. And from the looks of it, he's having a hard time doing so. But, I can feel Sensei struggling.'
"Mind control?" Kurama suggested.
'It might be, but there really hasn't been anyone we've fought that has mind control abilities. Not only that, Shishigami had mentioned earlier that it was only rats. Why only them? Surely the person behind this would go after something more...vicious than rats. Foxes even."
"As if petty mind control could get ahold of me," the kitsune scoffed. Yet he knew that it was a possibility, considering the Sharingan of that masked human took control of him.
'I certainly don't want to find out either. Hmm, mind control. There hasn't been any enemy we've fought with that kind of ability.'
"What about that human scientist with the mind abilities?"
Leo grimaced at Kurama's question. That incident ended in a close call. Weeks ago, before their first encounter with the Purple Dragons, the brothers had come across a news case involving a scientist named Dr. Tyler Rockwell. After some investigating, it turns out he was mutated into a monkey and had obtained psychic powers. Yet, none of them knew that, until Dr. Victor Falco had tricked them into handing Rockwell to him, thus enabling him to get psychic powers as well.
The worst part about it was that he could read minds. And if Leo didn't have any of the mind training from Shishigami, his secret about Kurama would've been found out. They ended up beating the scientist, and set Rockwell free.
'He didn't have mind control abilities,' Leo noted. 'The most he had was being able to read minds and slight combat skills. In that fight, if he had the ability, he probably would've used it. Unless somehow the mutagen that was used in obtaining the power to begin with somehow gave him the ability later. But using rats under mind control still doesn't…'
In an instant, the blue masked turtle felt Splinter's emotions rise slightly, and he turned. The rat master's eyes were open, and unfortunately Mikey had the Bo staff in his mouth. As the orange masked turtle rambled on about how he was the best of the four turtles, Splinter grabbed the wooden weapon and threw Mikey off. He was thrown across the room and near the turnstiles.
"Sensei," Leo began, getting up from where he was seated, Donnie coming up next to him. "Are you okay?"
Splinter used the Bo staff to hold himself up slightly. "No Leonardo, I am not," he began, handing the staff to Donnie. "It would appear that your former adversary, Dr. Falco, has returned."
'So it is him then…' the jinchuriki thought, clenching his fist in slight anger. 'This is not good.'
"Falco's behind this?" Donnie asked. "How is that possible?"
April began leading the rat master towards the dojo, holding his right arm. "Somehow, he has acquired a telepathic connection with every rat in New York. And he now calls himself, 'The Rat King.'"
The four turtles followed him in. "Oh great. Now we're letting the bad guys name themselves?!" Mikey complained. "We gotta take him down!"
"Yes Michelangelo, you do," Splinter said. "The Rat King will not rest until he has total control of this city...and my mind."
"Sensei?" the jinchuriki asked warily.
Leo had never seen his father like this in all the years he had raised them. He could feel the sadness radiating off of Splinter, and it shook him to the very core. While Leo knew that Splinter wasn't always calm and serious, this was one of those moments where that very demeanor had broken down. And because of his ability to sense emotions, the jinchuriki could feel the entire force of it.
Splinter walked over to his shrine, grabbing the old photo of him, Tang Shen, and Miwa. "Everything I knew is gone. My wife, my daughter, my clan, even my humanity...You four are all I have left…"
'He's implying...that if his mind is...oh Sensei…"
"Don't you worry, Sensei," Raph began. "We'll stop him."
"But we gotta find him first," Donnie mentioned, referring to the fact that they don't currently know where the Rat King was.
"When the Rat King attempted to take control of me, I could see into his mind," Splinter began. "You will find his lair in an abandoned utility junction beneath Herald Square."
"Let's go play exterminator," Raph stated.
At that moment, the rat master cried out in agony, clenching his head. Leo had a feeling that it was another attempt from the Rat King to obtain Splinter's mind. He ran up to his father, who knelt on the ground, dropping the old family photo. April also came to assist him.
"Fight him, Sensei," Leo said, helping Splinter get up. There was worry in his voice.
""I will. Just, hurry," his father answered.
"It's okay guys," April reassured them, leading the rat master away. "You go after the Rat King. I'll stay with Sensei."
Yet Leo could not hide the inner doubt he had held within his heart. Something bad was going to happen, and he just knew it. Next to his foot was the family photo that his Sensei dropped earlier. Picking it up, the turtle inspected it.
'I have a feeling that this might help us,' he thought. 'I'm sorry, Tang Shen, Miwa, for taking this.'
Taking the photo, Leo ran off to join his brothers.
Minutes later, in the sewers…
"What's gonna happen to Splinter if we can't stop the Rat King?" Mikey asked aloud. "Which, by the way, lamest name ever."
Currently, the four brothers were heading towards the abandoned utility station Splinter had mentioned earlier. Still, they were all slightly on edge after seeing their master in such a condition. Well, Leo anyway. He wasn't so sure about his brothers, but he had the feeling that they were worried.
"Let it go already!" Donnie complained. Even Leo had to admit, he was getting tired of Mikey saying that.
"We're gonna stop the Rat King, and Splinter's gonna be fine," Raph reassured them. "Right Leo?"
He wasn't sure what exactly to say about that. While Leo didn't exactly know what the effects of defeating the Rat King would have on Splinter, he did know it would be better for the Rat King to be gone than to be around. After all, the psychological influence that the guy had on Splinter was pretty grave since he last saw him.
A rat ran by his feet, squeaking. "Shh, quiet," Donnie said. "Do you guys hear that?"
It was at that moment, that a stream of rats came from the tunnel behind them. There had been hundreds of them, and there were coming straight for the brothers.
"You gotta be kidding," Raph stated, annoyed.
"Aww ra-umph!" Mikey was about to say, but his mouth was covered by his red masked brother.
"Uhh, Leo?" Donnie asked him, as both turtles backed away from the oncoming surge of rats. "Any ideas?"
'Well, I could potentially blow the rats away, but I would just be exposed. So no other options then except to run.'
"Just one. MOVE!" Leo yelled.
All four turtles ran through the tunnel for dear life, but the rats were slowly catching up to them. As Leo rounded a corner, he noticed some pipes running above them. So he jumped and grabbed onto one, letting his legs hang out. Raph and Donnie, seeing this, did the same thing. Unfortunately Mikey had yet to catch onto the idea, and by the time he did, a few rats had clung to his foot as he jumped and latched onto the pipes.
The orange masked turtle screamed, kicking hard so the rats would fall off. Eventually they did, and Mikey hauled his feet up as well, wrapping them around the pipes. Yet one rat was still on him. It hissed and bit the top of his head.
"Ow!" he yelled as the rat jumped off. "Oh no…they got the taste for turtle now!"
"Come on! Just keep moving!" Leo shouted for his brothers to move.
With that, they began to edge forward, grabbing parts of the pipes in front of them as if it were monkey bars. The rats squealed beneath them, and he noticed that their movements were becoming less frequent. It was almost like a rat traffic jam was happening below them. Were they close to the utility junction then?
"I'm just saying," Leo heard Mikey behind him. "I can think of a million better names than 'The Rat King.' There's Ratzilla, the Verminator, Lord Rattington…"
"As much as he is annoying, at least he is better in that department than you are," Kurama stated.
This only made Leo angrier. "Can it Mikey," he sneered. "We're almost there. The utility chamber is just on the other side of that wall." He gestured his head in the direction of it.
"Uhh, you mean that disgusting, furry, squirming wall?" Raph question.
Leo turned his head, and tried his best not to vomit. The wall, which was probably previously made of bricks (and probably still was) was now covered in thousands of rats. Each of them stood on top of each other, creating a wall of rats on their own. The turtle gagged at the sight, and he wasn't alone.
"Ugghhh, that's just disgusting...even for me."
"How are we supposed to get past that?" Donnie asked.
Looking down, the blue masked turtle noticed two, dark yellow barrels next to the wall of rats. He sniffed the air, knowing that his heightened senses would be able to smell what was in them. A smirk grew on his face.
"Raph, those barrels, ventilate them," he ordered.
"You got it," his brother answered.
The red masked turtle took out a couple of shurikens and threw them at the barrels. They hit their targets perfectly, and punctured the sides, causing black fluid to leak out. The scent of the fluid was stronger than before, and Leo couldn't help but make his smirk into a wide grin.
"Uh, Leo," Donnie began. "You do realize those chemicals are highly combustible?"
His eyes flashed red, a toothy grin showing on his face. "You don't say," Leo commented.
Taking out one of his katanas, he laced it with invisible chakra and cut through a wire that ran alongside the pipes they held onto. It was a clean cut, and part of the wire swung into one of the barrels. This ignited it on fire, causing an explosion. The wall of rats fell apart, leaving an opening for the turtles.
"You...you have inherited my sadistic side!" the fox fake cried. "Words cannot express the joy I feel!"
His jinchuriki rolled his eyes. "Let's move," he told his brothers, and the other three followed soon after.
(5) Letting go of the pipes and walking on foot, the four turtles found the abandoned utility station that Splinter had mentioned earlier. It was quite huge, with different levels of open floors made of brick. Large pipes were welded into the ground nearby, and the lighting itself was rather odd. Clearly the place had fallen into ruin as parts of the floors above them were gone.
A few rats roamed the place, but not as many as earlier. This had to be the place. Looking up, they saw a man above them. On top of his head was a large hat, with bandages covering the upper half of his face. He wore some sort of black cloak, and his hands were bandaged as well. But if it was one thing that Leo noticed very well, it was that the man's facial features were very distorted.
'Looks like my earlier theory was correct,' the jinchuriki thought. 'He must've had an accident with mutagen he was experimenting with, and it gave him the abilities he has now.'
"The burns on his face are not natural," Kurama pointed out. "They almost look like chakra burns. Yet, they are not."
'Maybe an explosion then? Falco could've been experimenting with mutagen, and had faulty equipment. But that still doesn't explain why specifically he has control of only rats.'
"Animal experimentation perhaps."
And it suddenly clicked. Falco was a scientist of course, and experimenting on rats should've been obvious. After all, he had experimented with Rockwell before. An explosion must've happened with mutagen, causing those burns. And when he was in agony and suffering, the mind abilities he had were affected by the mutagen and called out to rats. Suddenly it made sense.
'If I'm right, then his control is only limited to rats then,' Leo thought. 'Which is both a good and bad thing. Falco can't control any of us, but that still leaves Sensei open…'
"Ah, my turtle friends," Falco, or rather the Rat King, began. "We meet again." A white rat appeared on his shoulder.
"Except last time Falco, you weren't wearing a sad Halloween costume," Raph commented sarcastically, getting a laugh from Donnie and Mikey.
"I am the Rat King!" the man shouted.
"*cough, cough, cough,* Lame," Mikey said off to the side.
"Sorry, we don't have any treats for you, but we've got a few tricks," Leo stated, earning himself a headache from Kurama.
'OW!'
"That was just horrible."
At that moment, Leo heard the familiar sound of birds chirping and a harp. He inwardly groaned, knowing that it was Donnie's ringtone for April. Then again, April was supposed to watch Splinter...did that mean…? A very bad nagging feeling was growing in the back of his mind.
"Way to ruin the moment, Donnie," Raph commented.
The purple masked turtle quickly picked up the phone. "Uhh April, now's not really the best time," he said, with two glaring turtles over his shoulder.
"Donnie, it's Splinter," she began. "He's gone!"
'Oh no, please don't tell me…' Leo thought in desperation. It was in vain however, when he felt a familiar presence approach.
"What do you mean gone?" Donnie asked. "Gone where?"
"Here..."
They turned around, and were all met with shock (minus Leo who had sensed his Sensei's presence earlier) There from behind a wall appeared Splinter, who looked as if he wasn't there anymore. An unsettling calmness surrounded the rat master. His eyes were red, a sign that he was being controlled. Finally, a katana was at his side. All four turtles gasped.
'Damn it!' the jinchuriki cursed. 'He managed to take control of him!'
"It's like his brain is completely turned off!" Donnie said from behind.
"You mean like Mikey?" both Raph and Mikey asked at the same time.
"Dude, you're so predictable," the orange masked turtle sighed.
'This isn't good at all. We can't fight him. If we do, the guys might end up getting seriously injured, and I…'
Leo didn't want to think about having to reveal his full strength. Yet right now, they were in a very risky position. If it came down to it, would he show his true abilities? Or would he have to hide them away and die with them? But Kurama in the end would be released from his body, and that wasn't going to be a pleasant situation either. The blue masked turtle hoped it wouldn't come down to it.
"Sensei, snap out of it!" he yelled, hoping that the rat master would waver away from the Rat King's control.
"You waste your words," the controlled Splinter began. A couple of rats climbed onto his shoulders. "This is where I belong. With my brothers."
"He is mine now," the Rat King echoed above them. "Imagine my delight, when I realized controlling your master would not only make me invincible, but would also be the key to your demise. Hahahahaha!"
The jinchuriki gritted his teeth in frustration. 'He's sick! To use someone in that way...it's just...ARGH!'
Kurama did not voice his opinion on the matter, yet he was surprised to hear Leonardo say such words. It was indirect, yet the same could be applied to when the fox was under the control of the masked human. One with a Sharingan. Obviously an Uchiha. Forced to attack the village by another's will. It was not a pleasant day at all. Lives were lost, and he ended up getting split in half, with one half in the afterlife and himself with Leonardo.
Yet, it was still strange to hear those words. For the longest time, the giant fox never trusted anyone. Heck, he couldn't even remember the last time he actually trusted anyone to begin with. Here however, he trusted Leonardo. There was no sense of being turned against, and certainly no sense of being used, just as humans wanted his power in the past, and probably still do. To see his jinchuriki witnessing his master being controlled was most definitely not easy to watch, having known the feeling.
"Splinter! Destroy them!" the Rat King commended.
And, just as he was ordered to do, Splinter turned his head away from the former scientist and began to walk towards the four turtles. Eyes remained focused, as he showed no emotion whatsoever. Leo was beginning to feel slightly nervous. The turtle wanted to avoid fighting his master at all costs.
"S-Sensei don't!" he yelled.
And for a moment, it seemed as if his voice reached the controlled rat master, as his eyebrows rose slightly and he stopped moving, closing his eyes. But from above, the Rat King saw and felt Splinter struggle out of his control. In an effort, he removed the bandages from his head, revealing just how ghastly he looked. This strengthened his control, and once again, Splinter opened his eyes which were still red and moved towards the turtles. (5!)
"Are we really going to do this?" Donnie asked, who was taking out his Bo staff.
"Remember, we did beat him once," Raph told him, also taking out his pair of sai. "Kind of."
'That was all of my handiwork last time however,' Leo thought. 'I don't want to fight him. Especially not when he's not going to hold back. The Rat King is going to use whatever he can to...kill us.'
"You must realize that it may come to the point where you must fight him with strength that you never show to them," Kurama pointed out. "As much as neither of us want our… 'relationship,' to be unveiled, I would prefer for you to not die and have myself reincarnated in the world above us."
'Yeah…'
"There is also the fact that the possibility of having to kill the rat is exceptionally high. This is also true, yes?"
'I know that, I-'
"What will you do should that situation come into fruition?"
Leo froze. His thoughts were still, not even able to make a response to the kitsune's question. He truly didn't know. The scenario that Splinter never broke free of the rat King's control was something the jinchuriki never wanted to see. Even worse, if it came true, could he really kill his master? Or...if he couldn't, then what would happen to his brothers?
"If the choice were to come about between your so-called, 'Father,' and your so-called, 'Brothers,' which would it be?"
Out of all the times that Kurama could be so quizzing, it had to be now. There were those moments in the past, having experienced only a few. It felt as if the fox was secretly testing him for some reason. What said reason would be Leonardo would never know, yet the idea of it intrigued the blue masked turtle slightly. Questions that were asked as if to prove some sort of theory or calculation. The fox, he knew, was very clever when it came to these types of things.
But to choose one...Leo was torn immensely between the two. They were his family. The ones he had chosen to protect with his life. Hence why he trained himself into the ground and the extra training with Shishigami. It was for them. To choose one not only was like betrayal, but also a wasted effort. He couldn't choose. Leonardo has strong bonds on both sides. And now, he had his answer.
'I choose both.'
"What makes you think you can do that?"
'Because I'll make sure it won't come to the point where I have to choose.'
"Hmm?" Kurama seemed to be very interested in this. Almost as if he wasn't expecting that sort of answer.
'I have a plan to get Master Splinter back to his senses. If I killed him, that would lead to hate from my brothers. If he killed them, hate would come from myself and I would lose control. The only way to win this is to help him break through it. I want to stop the hatred that'll come from this fight."
"And if you cannot?"
'Then I will die trying.'
Kurama smirked. Just what he expected from his jinchuriki. Yet he couldn't help but noticed that the questions that were thrown in revealed a little bit of knowledge to him. Perhaps...this was the kid the old man mentioned one thousand years ago. If that were the case, then there would be many trials ahead. Kurama trusted Leonardo, and if his assumptions were true, then he couldn't have asked for a better candidate.
'Heh. The old man must be rolling over in his grave with laughter from all the praise I give to him.'
"And we can beat him again," Leo reassured his brothers. "We can do this guys. Do not hesitate."
The rats on Splinter's shoulders climbed off of him, and unsheathed his katana. Leo also took his blades and pointed them towards his master. He could feel the uneasiness from his brothers, as they gripped their weapons tighter. There was no other way. They had to fight.
(6) "Take. Sensei. Down." Leo commanded.
All at once, they charged at their Sensei, weapons at the ready. The brothers leapt into the air, striking forward, hoping to at least knock him back instead of having to injure him. However, their weapons ended up hitting the ground instead. Looking back, there was Splinter, who had evaded their attacks with ease.
In an instant, they were thrown back. Mikey was thrown into the wall on a ledge. Raph got flung into a corner, bouncing off the floor and hitting the wall. Leo, just in the nick of time, pulled his dual katanas in front of him when Splinter hit him. This however, did not stop that fact that he got thrown into a pipe on the second floor of the station. Thankfully his shell took most of the shock, but it still hurt.
He felt Donnie's presence come close to him, and when he opened his eyes, Leo saw the flying form of Donnie coming straight towards where he was at the moment. He leapt out of the way swiftly, only for his brother to hit his head on the pipe. For a moment, it retracted into his shell, until the purple masked turtle managed to get it out.
'Ouch...he must have a concussion or something like that now…'
"I just had a horrible realization…" Donnie began. "He's been going easy on us all these years!"
'WASN'T THAT KINDA OBVIOUS FROM THE START?!' Leo thought. 'Still...I've never really seen Splinter when he doesn't hold back against us. Maybe I won't have to hold back as much either.'
Leo saw his brother run off towards Splinter, jumping off the platform and into the fray. He nearly yelled at Donnie to stop, but by then it was already too late. Off to the side, he felt Raph and Mikey recover from the previous blow, and it seemed as if the fight itself was turning into a one-on-one.
'As much as I think it's a bad idea, a one-on-one fight is probably the only way we can win. We tried teamwork, and Sensei only ended up throwing us back. If they keep going at Splinter…'
His gaze followed his genius brother, who jabbed at Splinter with his Bo staff multiple times, only for the rat master to avoid it with ease. Donnie jumped, swinging the staff down towards Splinter. In response, the turtle's weapon was knocked clean out of his hands by a katana, leaving Donnie defenseless. Splinter jabbed him with his left elbow, sending the purple masked turtle into the wall.
"Donnie!" Leo heard Mikey yell.
Looking over to where his youngest brother was, he saw him swinging his nunchuck chain around, and threw it at Splinter. But the rat master quickly moved out of the way, letting the chain wrap around his sword. With great strength, Splinter swung his blade, taking not only the chain, but also Mikey with it. He was thrown against a wall on one of the higher levels of the facility, and dropped right in front of his master.
Before Splinter could make any sort of retaliation, he moved off to the side, dodging an incoming attack from Raph, who raced at him with a sai in his right hand. Leo jumped down from where he was, knowing full well he was going to join the fight soon.
"Nobody hits Mikey but me!" the red masked turtle yelled.
Turning around, Raph swiped back with his sai, hoping to get some sort of hit in. However, Splinter was gone. His emerald eyes widened, and unfortunately he had an idea where exactly the rat master was. Looking up, he saw Splinter do a front flip, and before Raph could do anything, he was kicked in the face and sent tumbling to the ground, sais thrown away from him. Leo stood over his red masked brother.
'Time's up…' he couldn't help but think.
His master stood on the other side of the facility, gaze piercing into his very soul. He could feel the Rat King watching intently from above. His brothers lying on the ground, defeated. Leo gripped his katanas tighter. He knew it wasn't Splinter's fault, yet he could not help but feel some anger escape his system.
"Sensei," Leo begged. "Please."
All in all, he didn't want to fight his father, not in this way. There were too many risks at stake. At the moment, the blue masked turtle was risking his own life and his brothers' own versus the secret he's kept away for his entire life, even though for a majority of his life he didn't know it. Leo didn't want any of this to happen. But, there was no other choice…
Splinter began to rush at him, his pleas left on deaf ears. It was pointless to try to reason. Leo closed his eyes, and focused.
'Kurama...I ask of you to lend me your strength.'
"Heh. You don't even need to ask."
'Right.'
For a second, there was silence, except for the sound of Splinter running towards him. Leo felt Kurama's power run through his chakra pathways. No one could feel it transpiring, for no one, except for a certain deer god, could sense chakra or even have it to begin with. This was it. There was no going back now. Leo opened his eyes, revealing red pupils. He was still in control, but with Kurama's strength, his eyes turned red.
"Ikuzo, Kurama." (Let's go, Kurama.) Leo whispered, so no one could hear.
Leo ran at Splinter, meeting him halfway. Their blades clashed. However, the blue masked turtle semi-underestimated Splinter, and he was thrown back slightly. Getting up quickly, he blocked another strike from the rat master, jumping over and flipping midair to avoid another blow. For the moment, all he could do was defend.
'Damnit, this isn't working,' he thought, jumping out of the way to avoid yet another swing. 'I need to increase my speed.'
"You're afraid, Leonardo," Kurama noted. "You will not be able to hit him if you continue like this. Remember not to be afraid to fight him."
'I'm not. It's just...wait. That's it!'
Once again, he was thrown back by one of Splinter's strikes. Not falling over completely and landing on his feet, Leo saw the rat master jump towards him, and he held up his katanas to stop him. Red eyes also met red. But with great strength, the rat master was able to slide his blade across Leo's own, making them fly off in different directions. The turtle was defenseless now, and all it took was one kick from Splinter to send him to the ground. He was immediately pinned against the floor by the rat master's foot. The blade pointed straight to him. Leo's red eyes widened.
"Wait!" Leo cried out.
"Finish him…" he heard the Rat King say.
"Remember who you are!" The blue masked turtle shouted, taking out the picture he had taken from Splinter's shrine earlier. "Hamato Yoshi."
This seemed to have some sort of effect on Splinter, for the rat master's eyes widened slightly. Kurama smirked, knowing that it was time to act. He didn't waste any time as soon as
"Donnie, Raph, now!"
As soon as Leo yelled that, the two turtles he called out tackled Splinter, pinning him to the ground, and letting Leo go. Soon, Mikey joined in keeping the rat master down, and Leo got on top to make sure Splinter didn't move. He wasn't quite sure if their hold would keep him down long, but they had to try.
"Please...father."
Rarely was there a time that Leo actually spoke of Splinter like that. It wasn't that he didn't like him as his father. He was so used to calling him, "Master," and, "Sensei," that the word father just never came out. And deep down, though Leo would never say this, it felt as if Splinter was never truly his father. Not biologically of course. Still, the feeling was odd.
And yet, the rat master acted as an important parental figure in his life. Not that Kurama wasn't an important figure. It just so happened that he met the fox when he was ten. Also Kurama couldn't really be considered parental material anyway, right?
At this point, Leo was begging, begging for Splinter to snap out of it and regain control. If this didn't work, then it would be all over. One of two things could happen; him and his brothers die, or his secret was revealed.
"We need you," Leo stated, hoping that it was enough.
He saw Splinter look up at him, eyes somewhat widened. Hoped filled Leonardo, as what he was doing was somehow taking effect. However, this was ruined when the Rat King appeared in front of them, rats at his feet.
"Don't listen to him brother," he stated. "Your place is with me!"
His control seemed to have solidified more, as the next thing Splinter did was something none of them could stop. He managed to get up slightly, rolling over and kicking Raph, Donnie, and Mikey away. Leo was also thrown back, but Splinter was able to catch one of his katanas as well as the blue masked turtle. Before he threw him to the ground, the rat master slashed the blade across his shell diagonally, somehow cutting into the shell and leaving a big gash, blood coming out.
"AHHHH!" Leo cried out in pain, as he was thrusted to the ground.
Splinter held the katana with his left hand behind his back. The Rat King loomed over them, smirking in victory. Leo's red eyes widened, turning back to the familiar shade of blue. Even he had to admit, he was scared. But there was nothing else he could do. It was over, and he only had one choice left. Closing his eyes, Leo spoke to the fox in his head.
'Kurama...I'm sorry, but, our secret is going to have to come forward. Please...heal me…'
But there was no answer from the fox. Even for a few seconds. Leo began to grow nervous as the seconds passed by. Had he not heard him or something?
'Kurama?'
"No need."
'Huh? But why-'
"My place…" Leo heard Splinter say as the rat master closed his eyes. "...is with my sons!"
Splinter's eyes opened, revealing the normal maroon nature of them. He was back and in control. Running forward towards the Rat King, Splinter held out two fingers. As soon as he pointed them at the man's chest, almost touching in fact, unleashed a gust of wind. The Rat King was thrown into the wall, the wind knocked out of him, and landed on the floor, unconscious. (6!)
Raph, Donnie, and Mikey got up and looked at the scene with shock, eyes blinking at the sight. But after a few seconds, they realized what happened. Splinter was back. All three of them ran to their master and hugged him.
"Sensei!" the three of them shouted as they hugged the rat master.
Leo saw Splinter relax, knowing that it was finally over. Off to the side, a herd of rats crawled over the Rat King's body, and he disappeared. Unfortunately he had a feeling that they would meet again someday.
"And that's the last we'll see of Count Ratcula!" Mikey added for dramatic effect. However, no one really seemed to care about that. Even Splinter shook his head.
"Yeah, alright. It's Rat King," Mikey stated with annoyance. "But I'm naming the next one."
"He better do it before you do," Kurama commented.
The blue masked turtle chuckled at that, and attempted to get up. However, pain shot up from his chest area, resulting in a loud hiss escaping from his mouth. It was unbearable. So much so that he was beginning to lose consciousness. Thankfully, the hiss was loud enough for his family to hear, as he could feel them rushing over to this fallen body.
"Leonardo!" He heard Splinter vaguely say in horror.
And the jinchuriki blacked out.
"You think he'll be alright?" Leo heard a voice. Most likely from Mikey.
"He'll be fine. He should be waking up soon. I did my best with his shell. But it isn't easy to surgically repair a carapace." Most definitely Donnie.
"Eh, Fearless can handle it." Raph.
Light began to fill his vision, and he groaned. "I told you I don't like that nickname," Leo whispered.
"Leo!" All three of them shouted, much to the eldest turtle's dismay.
His eyes now fully open, it appeared to be he was in Donnie's Lab. The jinchuriki wasn't quite sure what exactly happened to him, his memory being a tad bit fuzzy for the most part. But it slowly came back in pieces. Leo had passed out after the fight with Splinter. Looking down, he could see the job that Donnie did on his shell.
"Dude! We thought we lost you!" Mikey shouted, attempting to hug his oldest brother.
"Ow! Ow! Okay Mikey! I get it!" Leo said, trying to take him off, since the hug was becoming painful. "You guys okay?"
"We're fine," Raph stated matter of factly.
"Out of all of us, you had the worst of it Leo," Donnie mentioned. "You've been unconscious for three days."
"You've got to be kidding me…" he groaned, slightly getting up.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy Leo! You need rest!" Donnie implored. "I had to stitch part of your shell back together. Unfortunately I couldn't do much because carapace doesn't exactly heal that way and-"
"English, Brainiac," Raph stated.
"What I'm saying is that your shell is going to look like that for the rest of your life," Donnie continued in simpler terms. "You're going to have to take it easy in fights from now on."
Of course, Leo knew that what his brother said wasn't true. After all, once they were gone, he would have this thing healed. But again, Leo couldn't say that. There was still one thing on his mind.
"Where's Master Splinter?"
"In the dojo meditating," Raph answered. "The past few days haven't been easy on all of us."
The blue masked turtle visibly winced. It had been Splinter who put him in this position in the first place. It must've been heartbreaking, later in finding out that you put your son in a coma for who knows how long. Now that he was up, he wanted to reassure him that he was alright. Leo got up and began to make his way out of Donnie's lab and towards the dojo.
"Dude! What are you doing! You need to chill bro!" He heard Mikey say.
"I need to talk to Splinter," was all the jinchuriki replied with.
"But-"
"Donnie, I'm fine, now let me go!" Leo shouted in an angry tone.
All three turtles backed off, watching with worry as their eldest brother, who was just recently lying in a coma, leave the room. Leo tried his best to walk straight, but even with Donnie's handiwork, it still hurt to move. He would most likely have to ask the deer god to heal him, that is if Shishigami was willing to do it.
He entered the dojo quietly, trying to not make too much of a disturbance. Splinter was currently in deep meditation. However, one foot in the room took the rat master out of it, Leo seeing him opening his eyes and getting up to greet him.
"Leonardo," he said in a shocked tone. "You are awake."
"I'm fine Sensei, really," he reassured him. "Are you sure you're okay though?"
"I am, thanks to you," Splinter stated. "You did well, my son. And I must apologize for you...injury…" he said in a more somber tone.
"Really Sensei," Leo told him. "I'm fine. There's no need to worry. It wasn't your fault."
There was silence between the two until a thought ran through Leo's mind. "Buuut, you did hesitate. And hesitation does lead to vulnerability."
He heard Splinter chuckle at that. Leo was grateful that he was able to get him out of that mood.
"Yes, I suppose I did," the rat master answered. "Go rest my son. You need it. There will be no training for a week."
"Thank you, Sensei. It's good to have you back."
Just as the turtle was about to leave the dojo, there was a lingering thought at the back of Splinter's mind. He called out to his son.
"Leonardo, I…"
"What is it Sensei?" said turtle asked.
At the last second, he retracted his question. "Nothing, my son. Go and rest."
Leo nodded, and exited the dojo, leaving Splinter behind. The rat master sat down once more, attempting to meditate. There was one event in his mind that he could not get rid of, no matter how hard he tried. It was haunting, which rarely ever made Splinter feel that way. Yet at the same time, he was very grateful that it occurred.
Flashback, during the battle…
(7) There was absolutely nothing he could do. Splinter was bound in chains, ones that refused to be broken no matter how hard he tired. The world around him, his mind rather, was completely pitch black, save for one window. And through that window, he could see the events going on in the real world.
Splinter was fighting his sons, to the death.
For the first time, not since fifteen years ago, he felt fear. Fear that he would actually critically injure his sons. Or worse, kill them. No matter how much he struggled, Splinter's mental fortitude was weak, unable to break the Rat King's control over his mind.
Various thoughts flowed through his head. Some included that his sons didn't need him. Or that his sons thought that they would be better off without him. That they didn't love him. It was heartbreaking to think such things. Yet it was slightly true remembering his earlier spar with the four turtles.
Leonardo had managed to hit him, which was something that none of his sons were able to do before. They were catching up to him finally. And that only made his heart break even more. That the time was coming to the point where his sons wouldn't need him. Splinter couldn't do anything. And so he was about to give in.
Until there was a loud, booming voice echoing in his mind.
"Oi! Oi! Rat!"
The rat master immediately opened his eyes, and was shocked at the sight. There was no more darkness around him, but in its place was a cave. A pool of water was at its center, and moonlight shone through a hole above it. The moon brightened up the area, revealing gray stone walls and stone floors.
Right in front of him were large, iron bars, with a larger one in the center. There was a piece of paper that said, "Eight Trigrams Seal." He didn't quite entirely understand what it meant. Furthermore, Splinter wasn't sure of where he was at the moment. And he couldn't move either, for the chains were still around him.
However, he felt a very ominous force make its way towards the bars. And the Splinter saw it. Huge, red eyes gleamed at him, as if they were piercing his soul. Fangs, sharper than any sword. Fur, orange and bright. The rat master was now able to get a full glimpse of the mysterious creature. It was a fox, a giant one at that, that could tower over buildings. Only, there was something different, other than its size.
It had nine tails.
"A kitsune?" Splinter spoke.
"Do you think he doesn't need you?" Asked the kitsune.
He was stunned into silence. What did the fox mean exactly? Who was this, "he," that was being referred to?
"Forgive me, I do not understand," the rat master answered.
"Baka. Of course a mortal like you wouldn't understand," the fox sneered. "Listen."
There was silence for a moment, until Splinter heard a voice. He could not see the events that were transpiring outside, but he knew that voice all too well.
"Please, father," It was Leonardo. "We need you."
Splinter's eyes widened. Leonardo never, ever called him that. Not that he didn't like being called that, but he was so used to Sensei and Master Splinter that this shocked him. It struck accord within his soul. Perhaps his sons needed him after all.
"Do you understand, rat?" The fox asked.
He began to struggle in his chains, trying to free himself. But it was no use. The chains were strong, as the Rat King's control over him was growing more powerful.
"Don't listen to him brother. You're place is with me!" He heard said person's voice echo.
And then, Splinter heard the sound of something he never wanted to hear.
"AHHHH!" His son had cried in pain. What the rat master didn't notice was the kitsune flinching at the noise.
"LEONARDO!" Splinter yelled.
He struggled harder in the chains, yet nothing could break them. It was impossible at this stage. Splinter heard the fox shift positions as it began to speak once more.
"You are killing him," the fox said simply, anger beginning to grow. "Break out of those chains."
"What?"
"Do so or he will die, and you along with him, brat. That I will make sure of if the event occurs." Anger was flowing from the fox. "You want to be with him, do you not?"
And so Splinter's resolve to break out of those chains grew more and more. He could feel the chains weakening around him. Until finally...SNAP! They all broke at once. Splinter stood up, glaring at the kitsune. There was a blank expression in its face.
"Go, Splinter."
And Splinter began to fade away, the area becoming blurry around him. But, there was one last thing he heard, however he wasn't quite sure who spoke first, but he had a lingering feeling about who it was.
'...rama?'
"No need."
And the fox smirked. (7!)
Author's Note
That's the end of Chapter 11! Yee!
I really must apologize. Finally, my two month long hiatus is over. It was a combination of remote school, stress, and unfortunately loss of interest in writing (and that never happens) Also I discovered Bleach (Toshiro Hitsugaya is my favorite, expect a oneshot in the future lol). But I promise this won't happen again. I've planned out ways to get me from spiraling into this mess.
Anyway, this chapter is based off the episode, "I, Monster," for those who don't know. A Splinter and Leo focused episode! Anyone else find it odd that this is the only time in the entire show that Leo called Splinter, "Father," ? Even Raph says it more than he does.
Lastly, tell me what you guys think! I love reviews! They keep me going and let me know you guys enjoy the story!
Until next time, See Ya Universe!
Palkia